Nuts add great flavour and texture, include protein, useful fats and vitamins. Needless to say, they can be a very important part of vegetarian cooking. 

 
Ingredients
 
 
·        1½ cups white cabbage, shredded thinly
·        1½ cups red cabbage, shredded thinly
·        4 tbsp peanut oil
·        1 tbsp walnut oil
·        2 garlic cloves, crushed
·        8 scallions, trimmed
·        1 cup firm tofu, cubed
·        2 tbsp lemon juice
·        1 cup walnut halves
·        2 tsp Dijon mustard
·        Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
·        2 tsp sesame seeds
 
1.     Mix white and red cabbage together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2.     In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, pour in peanut oil and walnut oil. Once oils are heated add in crushed garlic, white and red cabbage, scallions and cubed tofu. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.     Pour in lemon juice, walnut halves and Dijon mustard. Sprinkle in salt and pepper and cook until cabbage is tender, which shouldn’t take longer than 6 minutes.
4.     Sprinkle in sesame seeds and mix in well. Divide into individual bowls and serve immediately.
 
Serves 4

These little snacks have an incredible amount of taste, and I just know you’ll be snacking on them till their all gone.
 
Ingredients
 
454 g package extra firm tofu
½ cup carrot, finely shredded
½ cup bok choy, finely chopped
¼ cup bamboo shoots, finely chopped
¼ cup garlic chives, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp salt
â…“ cup Dipping sauce (recipe below)
One lb (500 g) package of dumpling wrappers
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup water

Place tofu onto a paper towel lined plate and place a sheet or two on top of the tofu as well. Using the palms of your hands, gently press down to properly drain excess water from the tofu. Slice the tofu into cubes, then using a fork, mash the tofu cubes until crumbled. Transfer into a large mixing bowl
Once you have prepared all the vegetables, add shredded carrot, chopped bok choy, bamboo shoots, garlic chives and minced cloves, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt into the bowl with the crumbled tofu. Toss mixture together until well combined; set aside. Prepare the dipping sauce.
Carefully separate dumpling wrappers and set onto a flat surface. Place a heaping tsp of the tofu mixture into the centre of each wrapper. Moisten the wrapper edges with a small amount of water and fold sheet in half, enclosing the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Repeat until all dumpling wrappers are filled and sealed.
Pour vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil and skillet are hot, place in the dumplings and fry, without turning dumplings over, until they turn a golden-brown colour, which shouldn’t take longer than 1 minute. Once dumplings are done frying, pour in ½ cup of water and cover pan. Allow dumplings to cook for 1 minute longer, then uncover pan and allow dumplings to simmer until most of the water has been absorbed.
Place dumplings onto a platter or individual plates with burnt sides facing up and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
 
Makes approximately 48 dumplings

Mustard seeds are used throughout India and are very popular in vegetarian cooking. To bring out the mustard seeds flavour they are fried in oil first before adding in with other ingredients.

 
Ingredients
 
·        6 tbsp vegetable oil
·        1 tsp mustard seeds
·        1 tsp ground cumin
·        1 tsp garam masala
·        1 tsp turmeric
·        2 garlic cloves, crushed
·        1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
·        1 green chili, seeded, membranes removed and sliced
·        1 medium cauliflower, rinsed and drained
·        1 pound spinach, rinsed and drained
·        6 tbsp vegetable stock
·        1 tbsp chopped cilantro
·        Salt and pepper, to taste
·        Cilantro sprigs, to garnish
 
1.     Place a large pot over medium-high heat; pour in vegetable oil. Once oil is heated, sprinkle in mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop.
2.     Sprinkle in cumin, garam masala, turmeric, garlic cloves and sliced onion. Stir until well mixed and sauté for 3 minutes.
3.     Using a sharp knife, cut cauliflower into small florets and stir in with spices along with spinach, vegetable stock, cilantro and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, which shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.
4.     Once tender, remove lid bring heat up to medium-high. Allow to boil until juices thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
5.     Divide onto small serving dishes and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.
 
Serves 4

When I first tried this recipe I was absolutely amazed. I was looking into vegetarianism at the time and stumbled across a very detailed book at the library called “World Vegetarian Cookbook” by Sarah Brown. It had great pictures of the food so I decided to try and make these delicious recipes myself. One dish that really stood out was the ‘Sesame tofu’, and get this, ‘with dipping sauce!’ All I can say is that you have to try this recipe for yourself and I can almost guarantee that you will be left with the same thought as I was…”Just how fast can I share this recipe with the world???”
Ingredients
To make the marinade
·        5 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
·        1-2 tbsp sugar
·        2 tbsp rice wine
·        1 tbsp grated ginger root
·        2 cloves garlic
To make the tofu
·        9 oz extra firm tofu
·        2 oz plain flour
·        1½ oz sesame seeds
·        2 tbsp sunflower oil
·        3 spring onions, finely chopped, to garnish
To make the dipping sauce
·        2 tbsp soy sauce
·        2 tbsp rice or cider vinegar
·        ½ tsp sugar
·        2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1.     In a small mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, ginger root and garlic. Set aside.
2.     Place tofu onto a plate lined with paper towel, place paper towel on top of the tofu as well and using the palms of your hands gently press down to remove excess water from the tofu. Slice the tofu into thick slices or medium sized cubes. Place tofu into a large bowl or onto a platter; drizzle on marinade making sure to coat all slices/cubes. Set aside for at least 30 minutes; turning occasionally.
3.     Pour flour and sesame seeds into a small bowl and whisk together until well combined. Once tofu has sat for at least 30 minutes, sprinkle on flour mixture until each tofu slice/cube is coated.
4.     Pour sunflower oil into a large skillet or a wok over medium heat. Once oil has heated place in some of the marinated tofu and fry until brown and crisp. Transfer onto a platter with a lid and keep warm while cooking other batches.
5.     In a small serving bowl pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and coriander. Mix until well combined.
6.     Place cooked tofu into separate bowls or leave on one large platter; serve garnished with spring onions and dipping sauce.
Serves 4

Stored in the fridge in a sealed container they will keep for up to 2 days.
 

Ingredients
To make the dough
·        1 cup all-purpose flour
·        2 tbsp butter
·        ¼ tsp salt
·        ⅛ cup warm water
To make the filling
·        1 large potato
·        1 tbsp vegetable oil
·        ¼ tsp black or white mustard seeds
·        ½ tsp cumin seeds
·        1 dried red chile, coarsely chopped
·        ½ onion, finely chopped
·        ½ to 1 dried green chile, coarsely chopped
·        ¼ tsp ground turmeric
·        ½ tsp ground coriander
·        ½ tsp ground cumin
·        ½ tsp salt
·        ½ tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1.     Pour flour into a large mixing bowl along with the butter. Using your hands, rub butter in well with the flour and knead into a soft dough ball, gradually adding in the water. Once dough is soft and has a velvety texture, divide it into 4 even balls.
2.     Using the palms of your hands, rotate the dough balls, one at a time, and press down to make 4 flat cakes. Form flat dough cakes into 4 inch circles and then cut in half. (You should be left with 8 semi-circles of dough.)
3.     Place the potato, with skin still on, into a small saucepan with enough water to just cover the potato. Bring to a boil and cook until potato is tender. Once cooked, set aside to cool. Peel potato skin off and discard; cut potato into small dice. Cover and set aside.
4.     Place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in oil. Once oil has heated add in mustard seeds and wait until they start to crackle before adding the cumin seeds, red chile, onion and green chile. Allow to fry until onion begins to soften. Sprinkle in turmeric, ground coriander and cumin and stir in with mixture. Add in potato dices and salt to taste.
5.     Reduce heat to low and continue to stir mixture until potato is coated with spices. Transfer skillet onto a non-heated burner to allow mixture to sit; stir in cilantro. Allow mixture to properly cool.
6.     Use each semi-circle of the dough as one envelope. Take a small amount of warm water and moisten the straight edges of the dough. Fold in half to make a triangular cone with the dough halves. Press down on the edges firmly.
7.     Using a small spoon, carefully fill the cones with the cooled filling. Be sure to leave a ¼ inch border at the top to insure a tight seal. Once all triangles are sealed, moisten the open top edges and using your hands or a fork, press edges together.
8.     Heat the oil for deep-frying to 350°F or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the samosas, in batches, until golden brown. Transfer onto absorbent paper towels and keep warm while cooking the remainder. Serve at once.
 Makes 8

Stored in the fridge in an airtight container they will keep for up to 2-3 days.
Ingredients
 To make the spring rolls
·        ¾ cup broken rice vermicelli noodles
·        6 fresh shiitake mushrooms
·        ½ cup carrots, slivered
·        1 cup bok choy, thinly sliced
·        1 cup green onion, slivered
·        2 tbsp chopped coriander
·        Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
·        2 tbsp soy sauce
·        ½ tsp granulated sugar
·        1 tsp sesame oil
·        2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
·        Eight 8-inch square spring roll skins
·        3 tbsp all-purpose flour
·        ¼ cup water
·        4 cups vegetable oil
To make the salad
·        1 cup daikon radish, slivered
·        1 cup carrots, slivered
·        4 green onions, slivered
·        ½ cup red onion, slivered
·        1 cup slivered cucumber, juice squeezed out
To make the dressing
·        2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
·        1 tbsp soy sauce
·        ½ tsp sesame oil
1.     Place noodles and mushrooms into individual bowls and cover with hot water. Cover bowls and set aside for 20 minutes. Once noodles and mushrooms have properly soaked transfer noodles into a colander and drain properly; transfer into a large bowl. Drain mushrooms as well and transfer onto a cutting board. Remove and discard stems and slice mushroom heads thinly. Add into large bowl with noodles.
2.     Add carrots, bok choy, green onion and coriander onto the bowl of noodles and mushrooms and mix together. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, to taste, and toss mixture to combine. Cover and set aside.
3.     Pour soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and fresh ginger into a small bowl. Using a spoon, stir the mixture until well combined. Cover and set aside.
4.     Gently pull spring roll skins apart and place them onto a flat clean surface (that is preferably glass so they won’t stick). Using a small spoon, place ¼ cup of the noodle and vegetable mixture onto the upper third part of each spring roll skin. Roll once and then take the 2 ends and fold them in and continue to roll the skins forward until it forms a cylinder. Whisk together flour and water in a bowl until well combined. Using a small pastry brush, coat spring roll with just enough of the flour/water mixture to seal the edges. Repeat until done with all the spring rolls.
5.     In a large wok, heat some of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once wok and oil are very hot add spring rolls in 3 at a time and fry until they turn golden brown which shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes. Transfer rolls onto a rack with paper towel to drain. Repeat with the rest of the batch.
6.     To make the salad, place radish, carrot, green and red onions and cucumber into a bowl and toss together until well combined. In a separate bowl pour in rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil; whisk together until well mixed. Drizzle sauce mixture over vegetables and toss together until all vegetables are lightly coated.
7.     Once spring rolls are properly drained, place onto a cutting board and slice each spring roll in half on an angle. Place 3 halves onto individual serving plates, standing up so that their cut ends are facing up. Served garnished by arranging salad around the rolls; serve at once.
Makes 8 rolls but serves 5 if you serve 1½ pieces to each person.